Flipside
by Fenrirmon
Summary: Celestia has no student to call upon to aid Equestria. All she can do is try to prepare for Nightmare Moon's return. Meanwhile, Spike is a newspaper reporter sent to cover the Summer Sun Celebration. An alternate universe story inspired by one simple idea: What if Spike were the pony and Twilight his assistant? What would change? What would stay the same? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Princess Celestia stood on the balcony overlooking of the Royal Canterlot Palace. The white alicorn's rosy eyes were locked on the shining orb sinking near the horizon. The silver surface of the moon was beautiful as ever, even considering that half of it was marred by a dark stain shaped like a mare's head.

The royal equine's nearly phantasmal mane was calm for once, rather than drifting in its own personal windstorm. Dawn was coming, the sun was supposed to rise soon, but Celestia wanted to gaze upon the moon for just a moment longer.

"Is it too much to hope you've changed?" she asked the heavenly body. "After nearly one-thousand years I'd like to think so. That maybe we could settle this peacefully."

The eye of the mare in the moon seemed to spark. An almost imperceptible but unquestionably malicious light. Celestia bowed her head, her horn shimmering gold as the moon slowly sank beneath the horizon.

"It will be good to see you again, sister," she said, tears in her eyes.

The moon vanished behind the mountains, the sun rising to light the sky in its place. One day until the Summer Sun Celebration. One last day of sunlight, peace and safety for her little ponies. Celestia looked down upon the city of Canterlot as its citizens began to stir and begin their days.

She turned back to her own chambers, making her way past her various personal effects. The bed, the dresser, the vanity, none of them ever mattered to her before and they certainly didn't now. All she could do was try to pretend nothing was wrong and give her ponies another day of happiness.

Down in the city, the sunlight stretched for the windows of one of the housing complexes. A purple unicorn stallion grunted as he squeezed his eyelids tight, turning away from the light and pulling the covers over his head.

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

**Flipside**

**Chapter 1**

"Prosey..." a voice tried to intrude on the young stallion's sleep.

The unicorn groaned, stubbornly shoving his pillow over his green-maned head.

"Purple Prose you wake up this instant!" the nagging, female voice chastised.

His horn sparked with green magic, reaching out and grabbing hold of the window shade. With a sharp tug the rising sunlight's path through the window was cut off by a barrier of beige fabric. His hooves tugged harder on the pillow, trying to keep out the sound of claws stomping across the wooden floor.

"Spike!" the voice yelled as his blanket was yanked from his body.

That got his attention. The unicorn uncovered his head and sat up to glare at the noisy perpetrator of grand-theft blanket. Unfortunately she had already made it to the window and had the shade's drawstring in one clawed hand. Before he could protest the shade rolled back up and dazzling morning sunlight struck his green eyes.

"Gah!" he shouted, trying to block the sun with one hoof without falling backward from the shock.

He failed spectacularly and tumbled from his bed, landing with a _thunk_ on the wooden floor.

"Alright, alright. I'm up, Twilight," the pony grumbled as he rolled back onto his hooves.

The little purple-scaled dragoness near the window plodded over, a smug smile on her chubby face. Her stubby arms were crossed over the paler lavender scales of her chest and stomach and the deep-violet spines on her head bobbed lightly as she tapped one foot.

Spike groaned as he turned away from the impatient reptile and looked longingly toward the kitchen area of their apartment. The coffee machine sat there and at that moment the only thought occupying his sleep-deprived brain was a desire for caffeine. He yawned and started his quill-marked flank toward the invention, the padding of claws on floor signaling his roommate was following him.

"Come on, Spike! Don't you remember what today is?" she asked, sounding some mix between annoyed and frantic.

"Twi, what've I've told you about my name?" the stallion responded as his magic began loading the coffee machine.

A frustrated sigh, followed by the splashing of the sink turning on. The dragoness brought a full pot of water which Spike's magic lifted from her claws.

"Fine, 'Purple Prose', as excited as you were about it last night I can't believe you forgot," she went on.

The gears in Spike 'Purple Prose' Flail's head were trying to turn at his assistant's insistence, distracted somewhat by the bubbling of the water in the coffee machine. He felt her claws as she clambered onto his back, her feet scuffing at his feather quill cutie mark as she tapped at the back of his head.

"I'll give you hint: Far Strider's retirement," Twilight offered.

Suddenly everything clicked, and in an excited rush the pony found himself more wide awake then if he'd drunk a whole pot of coffee. His short, spiky tail waved back and forth looking almost disturbingly like his medieval weapon namesake.

"The promotion to international reporter! Oh my gosh, how could I forget?" he asked, suddenly racing back to his bedroom.

Green magic raced over several items and lifted them into the air. His saddle bags were quickly loaded with spare notepads, ink and quills. A reporter's hat, complete with press pass and his favorite white quill, whirled through the air and landed on his head. His horn sparked a little, tilting the chapeau to a rakish angle with a grin.

"Looking good, Prose. Looking reeeal good," he congratulated himself, a giggle coming from his back. "Look out, Equestria! Here comes your new, number one roving reporter!"

"Are you done preening?" Twilight asked as she tried to flatten out the uncovered portions of his mane.

"Come on, Twi! Starting today we're gonna be travelling the world!" Spike gushed, pacing anxiously as his saddlebags floated towards his back. "Exciting new places and ponies, all sorts of adventure... you've read the stories that Far Strider comes back with!"

"All the more reason to get to the office early," Twilight pointed out as she hopped down and let Spike put on the bags.

A rumble sounded from both of their stomachs, Spike chuckling a bit as he heard the steady drip of the coffee pot filling as well.

"We should probably take care of breakfast first," he admitted.

* * *

The Canterlot Sun was, without a doubt, the single most recognized newspaper in Equestria. Most young journalists would give both their left hooves for a chance to write for it, a fact that gave Spike a certain amount of job satisfaction every time he walked into the office. Other ponies were already bustling about, many a cup of coffee floating in a sheath of colored magic.

Spike ducked around a passing mail trolley with practiced ease, Twilight still clinging to his back as he headed for his desk. A huge grin crossed his face as he noticed a gray earth pony also heading there.

"Morning, Ink Blot!" Spike greeted cheerfully. "How's my favorite editor-in-chief today?"

The pony spun around, a few strands of his black mane falling over his face. A huge smile crossed his features as he saw the purple unicorn.

"Double P! Twilight! I was hoping you'd be in early!" the editor grinned.

"You don't say?" Spike responded, flashing a wink and a proud smile to Twilight.

"This wouldn't have something to do with Far Strider, would it?" Twilight asked, hopping from Spike's back.

"Sharp as a horseshoe nail, Twi," Ink Blot answered as he passed her a sealed envelope.

"She didn't get to be my assistant for nothing," Spike pointed out as he peeked over the dragon's shoulder.

Twilight swiftly opened the envelope with one claw, pulling out a pair of train tickets. Spike bit down on his lip excitement, a shiver running down his green mane.

"Yup, with Major Scoop moving up to Far Strider's old position I need a new pony to handle social events like this," Ink Blot said as he started to walk away.

Spike's tail went limp behind him. Twilight had the tickets in one claw and was reading over the letter inside as he rushed over to his boss' side.

"Hang on, you're giving the international position to Major Scoop?" he said, trying to keep his voice low.

"Sorry Prose. I know you've been eyeing the job for a while, but—"

"'For a while?'" Spike gasped, raising his voice. "I got my cutie mark in investigative journalism!"

"Prosey, you got that mark taking down some stuck-up cheater in magic kindergarten," Ink Blot responded, rolling his eyes.

"It was second grade," Spike muttered, his own gaze casting aside.

"Back to my point, you've never even reported on anything outside Canterlot before," the editor said, putting a hoof on Spike's shoulder. "I can't put somepony with no experience out there."

The purple unicorn bit the inside of his lip, frustration boiling away inside. His boss gave him a pat on the shoulder and a smile.

"Which is why you're getting Major's old assignment," Ink Blot explained, giving Spike a gentle shake. "Get you some experience out there, alright?"

Spike locked eyes with his boss and found it hard to resist the urge to grit his teeth in front of him. The unicorn took a deep breath before lowering his head again. As good as it would feel to vent, getting fired for causing a scene didn't seem worth it.

"You've got it sir," Spike sighed as his boss walked away.

Twilight was still seated at the desk, eyes wide as she looked over their assignment. Spike just slumped down next to her, watching Ink seal himself up in his private office.

"Sp-Prose—" Twilight started.

"I can't believe he just gave the position to Scoop like that," the unicorn fumed.

"You don't even— " she tried to interrupt.

"I'm better than just some stupid gossip column and he's not even— " Spike was cut short by a rolled up paper bopping him on the nose.

"You don't even know what the assignment is yet," Twilight scolded, unrolling the paper. "Just wait until you hear this..."

* * *

_Prose,_

_First off, I know we're all sorry to see Far Strider retire. Far be it from me to deny a pony when he says he wants to enjoy time while he still has his health though. Major Scoop is getting the new international position and will probably have already left for the southern borders by the time you get in._

_Of course that leaves the paper down a social reporter, and seeing as you've been trying to get into travelling stories this is your big opportunity! As you know, Scoop covered all sorts of diplomatic parties and celebrations everywhere from Las Pegasus to Stalliongrad. It'll be just the sort of experience you need, so here's your chance to get your hooves wet._

_The One-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration is coming up, and this year it's being held in Ponyville. I need you and Twilight down there covering every last detail. The preparations, the food, the decorations, the ponies, everything!_

_I know you had your heart set on Far Strider's old job, but you gotta learn to trot before you can gallop right? Handle this and we'll see what you can do about working you up the ladder some._

_Ink Blot_

Spike wadded up the letter in his magic and tossed it at the window. It bounced off, having no effect on the speeding landscape beyond the train car he now sat in. Twilight scooped up the message and carefully unfolded it.

"Maybe he has a point, Spike," she said firmly. "Neither one of us has even left Canterlot before. Starting small might be better."

"It can't get much smaller than this," Spike grumbled, his face pressing against the cool glass.

"Come on, mister. It's the One-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration!" Twilight said, hopping up next to him and sweeping one arm. "This is going to be the biggest festival in all of Equestria!"

"And it's in Ponyville," Spike pointed out. "Twilight, we can see that place from our home on a clear day."

The dragon rolled her eyes and sat down with a humph.

"Fine, be that way," she said. "We've still got a job to do, whether or not it's the one you wanted."

"I know, I know," her companion sighed, pulling his hat over his eyes. "Just wake me up when we get there."

Twilight nodded, pulling a tourist pamphlet from the seat in front of her and beginning to read. Spike "Purple Prose" Flail began to breathe deeply as the rocking of the train and the rustling of his assistant's pamphlet lulled him to sleep.

All the while Celestia's sun continued to climb into the sky, nopony aware that it might be the last time they ever saw it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"...Looking forward to it of course. In all honesty I can't imagine..."

Celestia's attention was floating in and out of focus. The palace staff was busy tending to the grounds and numerous knick-knacks as usual. The princess was following one of her many, many schedulers (Sun Dial) as he went over plans for the next day with her.

Celestia looked out the window they were passing by. The sun was getting higher, still late morning. A part of her just wanted to take off into parts unknown and never return. To flee from what she knew was coming.

"Your majesty?" Sun Dial's voice broke through her thoughts of freedom. "Is everything alright?"

Celestia looked at the slate-gray stallion, his magic grasping a thick stack of papers. Other servants were also slowing or stopping their duties, she could feel their eyes. Curious, worrying, wondering like Sun Dial if she was okay.

A smile came to her muzzle, as easily as it always had for the last thousand years. No matter what was coming she couldn't abandon them. Couldn't let them see her weaken.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dial, I was just admiring the work the gardeners have done," the sun princess lied as they continued walking.

The stallion moved his papers back to the front of his vision and the sounds of ponies resuming their jobs filled the hall again.

"Yes, they are quite talented," the stallion responded. "Green Hoof and his crew were quite surprised when you announced where the Celebration was being held. A millennial anniversary... we all expected it to be here in Canterlot."

There was surprise in his tone, mixed with a bit of disappointment. Both emotions seemed to vanish though as he saw Celestia shake her head.

"It was promised that the location would be randomly chosen each year," she stated. "So, what was next on the schedule for Ponyville?"

Sun Dial gave the princess an appraising look, before shrugging and turning back to his notes. Once more the unicorn was droning about who Celestia would need to meet with, from where she'd raise the sun, locations for the guards... and a million other details that she knew wouldn't matter by that time.

They passed another window, Celestia looked out for one last time to admire the work of the gardeners.

* * *

_**Attention all passengers, we are now arriving in Ponyville. I repeat, we are now arriving in Ponyville.**_

Spike snorted and jerked his way from his nap. Twilight was already scooping up their bags, including the pamphlet she'd been reading. He yawned, magic readjusting his hat as the violet dragon helped him with his saddlebags. He could feel the train slowing as it pulled into the station.

"Morning, sleepy-head." Twilight chuckled as she clambered onto his back. "Feeling any better?"

"A little, I guess," Spike grumbled, dragging his hooves toward the line of disembarking ponies.

"Cheer up, Spi—" Twilight cut herself off as the unicorn turned his head to glare at her. "Prose. We're covering the biggest celebration in all of Equestria!"

The dragoness pulled herself into a standing position. Spike winced at the feeling of her claws on his back. The unicorn rolled his eyes as Twilight cleared her throat. He could sense the incoming lecture.

"Ink Blot wants to use this for training," she declared, adjusting his hat so it stood proudly on his head. "Well I say you get out there and show him what you're made of! Let's prove that you're the journalist you've been telling him you are!"

Spike turned his head to look at his assistant. The smiled never left her face, and it quickly infected his own.

"You know what?" Spike said as they marched off the train. "You're right, Twilight. We're gonna write the greatest article ever and show Ink Blot I can handle this!"

"That's the spirit!" Twilight cheered, giving her friend a hug.

A sudden blast of cheerful music filled the air. Everypony leaving the train (as well as quite a few employees) found their eyes drawn to a brightly painted wagon. A marching band's worth of trumpets, flags, and for some reason an oven were sprouted from it, playing an impossibly upbeat tune.

From behind the contraption sprang an almost blindingly pink pony, her mane a mass of curls that bounced as she hopped from end of the platform to the other. There was a huge grin on her face as she sang along to the music.

_Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!_

_A fine welcome to you!_

Spike found his hoof pulled into an extremely enthusiastic shake before the pink mare bounced along to the next newcomer. It was clear that she had rehearsed this, seeing as she never missed a beat in the song.

_Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!_

_I say how do you do?_

Spike and Twilight gave one another confused looks. The stallion quickly slunk away from the other newcomers. There was some relief in seeing that he wasn't the only one, at least three others were following his example. The others were bobbing or stomping their hooves along with the music.

_Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!_

_I say hip-hip-hurray!_

"Think maybe I'll skip interviewing that one, though," Spike said to Twilight, as they marched past the strange wagon.

"Uh... yeah," she agreed, eyes bouncing as they followed the pink mare.

_Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!_

_To Ponyville today!_

In an impressive display of acrobatics, the singer flipped head-over-hooves and landed by the wagon. The remainder of her audience began cheering and laughing. Spike tried not to pay attention, focused on putting as much distance between himself and the musical wagon as he could.

The loud blare of several noisemakers going off drew his gaze back to the wagon. He spun around just in time to see a massive burst of yellow goop fly out of the smoke-stack structures on it.

Twilight yelped and jumped from Spike's back just in the nick of time. The unicorn was left to get covered by vanilla-scented gunk by himself.

"Blech! Ugh, what is this stuff?!" he shouted, struggling to wipe the goop from his eyes.

He was hardly the only one complaining. Several other ponies were crying out from the shock of being coated in the mysterious substance. A girlish giggle filled the air that for some reason felt like it could only belong to the pink mare.

"Whoops! Sorry everypony!" she apologized. "Guess I loaded the confetti in the oven and the cake batter in the confetti cannons by mistake!"

Spike had cleared off his eyes, giving the ooze a tentative lick. It certainly tasted like uncooked cake batter. Twilight had both claws over her mouth which were doing a poor job to hide the huge grin crawling across her face.

"Look out below!" a voice suddenly broke in.

A shadow fell over Spike for a brief moment. The shadow was soon replaced by a blur of gray that slammed into him. He screamed in surprise as he and this new assailant skittered across the platform, hitting the wall of the station's ticket booth.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted, running after him.

"Well, this is already going well," he grumbled, rubbing his now aching head.

"Sorry! My bad," the voice that had shouted before groaned. "That weird yellow goo got in my eyes. Are you okay?"

A gray pegasus mare shook her head as she sat up. A few blobs of cake batter scattered from her eyes and her blond mane as she did. Spike drew back as the mare opened her eyes. They were bright yellow, one of them focused directly on him. The other drifted, looking to the right.

"I'm fine, are you?" he asked, suddenly worried as he reached a hoof toward the stranger. "Your eyes are all—"

"Oh!" the pegasus blushed and turned away. "No, it's alright! They're... they're always like this."

Spike's hoof immediately moved to cover his mouth instead, so fast it was a wonder he didn't chip a tooth. The gray mare giggled as she got back to her hooves and straightened out her feathers. The cloud of bubbles on her flank was soon covered by her wings as she helped the unicorn back up.

"It's okay, you didn't know," she said, before a huge grin came to her face. "Ooh! Which means you must be new around here!"

The cake-covered stallion found his hoof pulled into another enthusiastic shake. Twilight ducked, barely avoiding several splatterings of batter that flew from her friend's leg.

"It's great to meet you!" the gray mare exclaimed as she failed to notice the mess she was making. "My name's Ditzy Doo!"

"I-I-I'm Pu-urple Prose," Spike managed to return the greeting, his voice wavering a bit with the excessive shaking.

"And I'm Twilight," the lavender dragon spoke up, tapping Ditzy on the shoulder. "We're reporters for the Canterlot Sun."

Spike heaved a sigh of relief as Ditzy released his hoof.

"Reporters?" she asked, her eyes giving the strange feeling that she was looking at both of them at once.

"Yup!" Twilight confirmed. "We're here to cover the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Oh, cool!" Ditzy cheered, her face lighting up.

Of course, Spike was starting to get the feeling Ditzy was the easily excited sort.

The unicorn's horn lit up, surrounding his body with a green aura. The cake batter still stuck to him slowly began to scrape off, globules of it floating toward a nearby trashcan.

"I've never spoken to real reporters before, especially ones from Canterlot!" Ditzy was speaking at a mile a minute, flapping her wings to get airborne again. "This is so exciting! I'll bet you're gonna be interviewing everypony in town!"

"Yeah, right after Prose finishes cleaning himself up," Twilight said with a giggle.

"It's not funny, Twilight," Spike responded, highly un-amused as he peeled more batter from his hat. "Ugh, I'm never gonna get all this gunk off!"

"Oh, I can help with that!" Ditzy offered before darting off in a blur of gray feathers.

She was back in an instant, pushing a gray raincloud ahead of her. The purple unicorn gasped as he realized what was coming. Before he could protest, the pegasus jumped onto the cloud with all her might. The bottom of the cloud burst, nearly drowning Spike in the ensuing rain.

The unicorn spat out a mouthful of water, his coat and mane clinging to his body and his hat drooping over his eyes. Thankfully all of the cake had been cleaned off by the impromptu shower. Ditzy looked down with a big smile on her face while Twilight rolled on the ground, her body shaking with silent laughter.

"Thanks, Ditzy, thanks a lot," Spike groaned, unable to find it in himself to admonish the mare. "Good thing my saddle-bags are waterproof."

"Happy to help," Ditzy said as she pushed the spent raincloud back into the sky.

Spike's magic sparked around his hat, floating it aside to wring it out. As he focused on that a pink hoof with a muffin on it suddenly popped into sight. He found himself face-to-face with the pink performer from earlier, a tray of muffins balanced on her back.

"And two more apology muffins for Ditzy and the new pony!" cheered the perpetually smiling mare. "Sorry for covering you both with cake."

"Um... it's okay?" Spike managed to respond.

"Thanks, Pinkie!" Ditzy snatched up her own muffin and eagerly began chomping on it. "Oh hey, you'll never guess what Mr. Prose is here for!"

"Oooh, I love guessing games!" Pinkie cheered before shaking the muffin tray on her back. "But I've got so many muffins to pass out. Then I've gotta get to that party for Applejack's family on the farm..."

Spike almost choked on the bite of muffin he'd taken as Pinkie jumped to his side and slapped a hoof across his back.

"Don't worry though, Prosey!" the pink mare seemed unaware of her new friend's sudden coughing fit. "I'll make sure to put aside plenty of time at the big party tonight to get to know you! See you both at the celebration tonight?"

"Of course!" Ditzy said with a nod.

With that, Pinkie was off and passing out muffins to another group of cake-splattered ponies. Spike took a deep breath, his coughing finally dislodging the stray muffin bit. He watched the pink mare with a confused expression, wondering just who it was that had almost _literally_ killed him with kindness.

"That's Pinkie Pie," Ditzy spoke up, answering Spike's unspoken question. "She's really nice, and loves meeting new ponies."

"She always so excitable?" Spike asked as he finally put his (still damp) hat back on.

Ditzy Doo giggled in response before finishing off her muffin. "Yeah, but she's been extra happy with all the newcomers. I'm surprised she hasn't exploded or something!"

Spike just rolled his eyes, taking another cautious bite from his own muffin. Twilight had finally managed to stop laughing and climbed onto his back, though she still had a broad grin on her face.

"It was great meeting you, Ditzy," the dragon said. "But Prose and I have a lot of ponies to interview."

"Yeah, starting with whoever is in charge of the Celebration," Spike chimed in.

"Oh, that'd be Mayor Mare," Ditzy answered, wings fluttering as she got back in the air. "She'd probably be at Town Hall, I can show you the way!"

The raincloud flashed through his head. Something told Spike more of this pony's help might not be pleasant.

"No!" he tried to insist, before pursing his lips and realizing he had shouted. "I mean... you really don't—"

"It's no problem, really," Ditzy explained, the smile never leaving her face. "I've just gotta make a few more pick-ups first."

The mailmare looked down, then up and around. Her eyes crossed as confusion colored her features.

"Um... as soon as I find my mailbag," she said. "Excuse me."

The pegasus rose higher into the air. Spike started to slink backwards only for a sharp claw to pinch his ear. The stallion bit his lip to avoid shouting in pain.

"Where do you think you're going?" Twilight chastised as she twisted her grip a bit. "She wants to help!"

"Twi, I know she's nice but she also seems kinda—" The purple unicorn cut himself off before rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue to illustrate his point. "You know?"

"She's also a mail-mare! I'll bet she knows everypony in town," the dragon whispered, pinching a little harder. "And don't be rude!"

"Found it!" Ditzy cheered from above as she flitted back into view with a blue bag slung across her chest. "I wonder how it got all the way up on the station roof."

"Sounds like a real mystery," Spike answered as Twilight relinquished his ear. "So, on to Town Hall?"

"You betcha! This way!" Ditzy cheered as she started toward the village beyond the platform.

Spike began to follow but stopped as he noticed Ditzy hovering in mid-air with a confused expression.

"Oh wait... no, this way," she said, taking off in the opposite direction.

The stallion sighed, his cheery mood from disembarking shriveling. This was starting to feel like it would be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"There's Sugar Cube Corner. That's where Pinkie Pie works," Ditzy explained as she flew along. "They have the best muffins...You feeling hungry all the sudden?"

In the short time that he'd spent with Ditzy Doo, Spike had started to wonder a few things. Just what could that cutie mark of hers represent? What exactly was up with her eyes? Most importantly of all: Just how in Tartarus did this pony manage to get lost in her own home town?

Ditzy had claimed she only had a few pick-ups to make. The mailmare's poor sense of direction had resulted in Spike getting a grand tour of Ponyville. Now the trio was passing by a gingerbread house that was apparently the town bakery, and Spike couldn't help but notice the longing look Ditzy was giving it.

"Well, the town is nice and all, Ditzy," Spike chimed in, waving a hoof at the mailmare to get her attention. "But I really need to get this article written. So if you could - "

"Right, Town Hall!" Ditzy interrupted, pointing toward a side street. "Right this way, last stop on my route!"

"You're sure this time?" Spike muttered as the grey pegasus flew off.

He winced as Twilight rapped on the back of his head with her notepad.

"Be nice, mister. She didn't need to take the time to show us around you know," the dragoness admonished.

"She also didn't need to help me clean that cake off," Spike pointed out, his magic re-straightening the quill in his hat band for the third time. "That rain water was freezing by the way."

"She's trying to be helpful," Twilight argued. "Besides, you're already dry."

"Mostly, yeah." Spike let out a frustrated sigh. "If we use too much more of Ditzy's 'help', though, this article is just gonna be about her mail route!"

Coming around the corner, though, Spike was met with a pleasant surprise. A tall, official looking building that looked almost like one of the spires of the royal castle. If the spires were made of plain wood rather than meticulously polished marble.

"There it is!" Ditzy cheered from her place overhead. "We're gonna be holding the big party there tonight and everything!"

"Wow it looks...Nice," Spike managed to compliment as Twilight's camera _clicked_ away. "A little under-decorated though, isn't it?"

"Prose!" Twilight hissed.

"Oh we've got the best pony for the job handling decorations," Ditzy assured her companions as they approached the building.

Her wall-eyed gaze drifted back the way they came. Somehow the smile on her muzzle got even bigger.

"Ooh, here she comes now! Hi Rarity!" Ditzy greeted, waving at whoever was approaching.

"Why hello, Ditzy," greeted a new voice.

Spike started to turn, stopped awkwardly half-way, and stumbled to regain his balance. Twilight yelped in surprise and fell from his back during the little dance, her camera flashing as she hit the ground.

Coming down the street was a stunning unicorn mare, one that Spike's eyes couldn't leave. Her pure white coat and rich, purple mane seemed to sparkle in the sunlight as she trotted up. Spike felt a clawed hand reach up and close his jaw, which he hadn't even realized was hanging open. The new mare had a quizzical look as she sniffed the air.

"Does anypony else smell cake?" she asked.

Spike mentally cursed, one hoof running through his short mane in a search for offending blobs. Ditzy giggled as she flipped her own mane a bit, a few more specks of batter flying out.

"Sorry, that's me," the pegasus explained. "Pinkie had a little accident with her welcome wagon earlier."

"Oh, I've always worried something like this would happen with those gadgets of hers," Rarity said before she turned to Spike. "Oh, how rude of me! I haven't even introduced myself and here I am chattering away."

She offered a perfectly polished hoof to Spike with a flutter of her long lashes.

"I'm Rarity," she said. "To who do I owe the pleasure?"

The stallion was already picturing it in his head. He'd reach in and cup her hoof in his, planting a gentle kiss on it as he introduced himself—

"Oh yeah, this is Purple Prose and his friend Twilight," Ditzy cut in, Spike's plans shattering. "They're here from Canterlot to do a report on the party! Isn't that exciting?"

"Ooh, from Canterlot you say?" Rarity asked, her eyes now locked on Spike.

"Oh, uh..." Spike could feel his mind suddenly blank now that the mare was paying attention to him. "Yeah, she is. I mean, I am! We! We are..."

He mentally face-hoofed, magic pulling his hat down over his face to hide his blush. Twilight sighed as she brushed the last of the road dust from her scales and cleared her throat.

"We're reporting for the Canterlot Sun on Ponyville's Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight explained on Spike's behalf, holding up her notepad and camera. "We were actually on our way to interview the mayor—"

"But I'm sure that can wait!" Spike cut in, his magic yanking Twilight back by her tail. "So, Ditzy said you're handling the decorations for the party?"

Ditzy just had a big smile on her face as she watched the two get acquainted. Twilight rolled her eyes as her partner managed to find his nerve again. The dreamy look in his eyes made it all too clear what Spike really had on his mind as he spoke to Rarity.

"Well yes, and all of them are hoof-stitched at my own Carousel Boutique," Rarity answered, fluttering her heavily-lashed eyes at Spike. "Just wait until you see them. They're quite breath-taking, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah..." Spike agreed, a dopey grin on his face.

Twilight sighed and buffed one of her claws against her chest scales. She delivered a quick jab to Spike right below his cutie mark, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the love-struck stallion.

"Right, interviews," he tried to recover, seeing the look his assistant was giving him.

Twilight nodded in approval.

"Any chance you'd be available for one?" he went on, eyes going back to Rarity.

Twilight's palm made a very impressive noise as it collided with her face. Rarity just gave the reporter a smile and gracefully brushed past him.

"Why, I'd be honored Mr. Prose...Unfortunately it's already noon and—" The white unicorn was cut off by a loud gasp.

"Noon?! Oh my gosh!" Ditzy rushed into Town Hall in a blur of gray.

Just as quickly she burst out of the building and took to the sky. "I'm gonna be late picking up my muffin from daycare! Sorry, Mr. Prose! Sorry Twilight! It was really nice meeting you both!"

Just like that, the mailmare was gone. The other three looked at one another, the confusion apparent on their faces. Rarity managed an awkward smile to the two reporters.

"As I was saying," she went on, trying to brush off Ditzy's departure. "I have so much to do to prepare for the celebration tonight. I simply don't have time for an interview right now."

"Oh." Spike seemed to deflate at that, while Twilight jumped onto his back.

"Of course, I should be able to make some time after the sun raising." Rarity cast him a wink. "If you'd still be interested?"

Spike did his best to ignore Twilight burying her face in his mane as his own split into a wide grin.

"Sure, that sounds perfect!" he agreed.

"It's a date then," Rarity said as she pulled her wagon through the doors of Town Hall. "I'll look forward to seeing you and your cute little assistant at the party, Mr. Prose!"

Spike's eyes stayed glued on the white mare as she headed inside, the doors closing behind her. He let out a dreamy sigh once she was out of earshot.

"Well, at least we have one interview scheduled," Twilight admitted.

"She said it's a date," Spike agreed, lids drooping over his green eyes as the dopey grin came over him again.

"Prose you—" Twilight was cut off by another sigh, to which she rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, yes she did. Maybe we should focus on why we're here until then?"

"Huh?" Spike snapped out of his fantasy about the interview at Twilight's words.

"The mayor?" she admonished. "That ring any bells?"

"Oh right, right. I didn't forget," Spike tried to cover as he started for the door. "Hey, is my mane straight? Rarity went in there and—"

"You look fine, Romeo," Twilight answered with a chuckle. "Now can you please focus?"

"Right, totally professional," the stallion nodded, heading inside.

Rarity was hard at work already, her light-blue magic levitating colorful drapes and elaborate tapestries around the room. Spike's eyes lingered on her until Twilight jerked his head toward a nearby directory.

"Mayor Mare's office is this way, lover boy," she said. "Don't make me get out the blinders."

Reluctantly, the purple stallion headed toward the stairs and left Rarity to her work.

* * *

A door waited at the top of the stairs, simply marked "Office of Mayor Mare" in bold letters. Now that Rarity was no longer right in front of him Spike found it remarkably easier to concentrate. He put on his best smile before rapping on the door with one hoof.

"Come in!" came the cheerful voice of a stallion from within.

The two reporters exchanged confused glances. It was clear that they had both expected a female voice from the name on the door. The door opened to Spike's magic, revealing a room that caused Twilight's eyes to widen in shock.

Everything in the office was perfectly organized. Portraits and photographs of the town and various buildings the two had passed by lined the walls. Each one showed parts of the town in different time periods, and each was perfectly aligned and dusted. The rug sat in the exact center of the room, the curtains were drawn perfectly symmetrical, even the wadded papers in the wastebasket formed a neat pile.

Capping off the display of organizational talents was the mahogany desk at the far side of the room. Two small towers of papers sat on it, one on either end. Visible between them was a light-brown earth stallion with a darker brown mane.

"Ah, you..." the pony said, giving them a smile before snatching up the paper sitting in front of him. "Hmm, you're not on the schedule for today."

"Um, I guess not?" Spike said, unsure whether to apologize. "I'm Purple Prose, from the Canterlot Sun. Would you be Mayor Mare?"

"Me?" The stallion actually laughed a bit. "Oh no-no-no-no! I'm simply handling some of the extra paper work that's been piling up."

He walked from around the desk, giving both his guests a clear look of the hourglass cutie mark he sported.

"The name's Time Turner," he introduced himself, holding out one hoof. "I'm the mayor's assistant, time keeper, and manager of all things timey-wimey."

"'Timey-wimey?" Spike asked, accepting the hoof-shake.

"Yes indeed," he confirmed, missing the confusion on the other stallion's face. "I handle every timepiece in town from the ones in this room to the clock tower in the park."

"Ooh, we passed by that on the way here!" Twilight chimed in, tail wagging. "I was so impressed with how accurate it was. Even the ones in Canterlot are off by a few seconds from the royal sundial!"

Spike remembered that clock tower. More specifically he remembered Ditzy leading them past it three times while showing them around. He also noticed Time Turner actually seemed to be blushing a bit at the purple dragon's words.

"Ah, you flatter me," the earth pony chuckled. "And you would be?"

"Oh, I'm Twilight," the dragon answered. "I'm Prose's official assistant."

"Well it's wonderful to meet you," the earth pony said, grinning broadly to the reporters. "So, how can I help you and Mr. Prose today?"

Spike smiled. It seemed things were finally going right since he arrived at the train station.

"Well you see, we're covering Ponyville's Summer Sun Celebration," Spike explained in as professional a voice he could muster. "We were hoping to ask the mayor a few questions for the article."

Time Turner's smile faded quickly. He clicked his tongue, heading back to the desk with a solemn shake of his head.

"Oh dear," he muttered, taking a seat and pulling a paper off the top of one of the stacks. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you there."

"What?" Spike bit back on his lip, reminding himself not to raise his voice again. "I mean, why not?"

"Mayor Mare's schedule is just far too busy today," Time Turner answered. "There's lots of preparation work that needs doing before the princess arrives after all."

He held up another sheet of paper, showing it to be a rather complicated looking time-table. Twilight's eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at the sheet, every box filled in with tiny writing.

"There's barely anytime for lunch on there as it is," Time Turner said, apologetically, as he put the paper back down. "I can't tell you how long it took me to get it so she'd actually have time to do everything either."

"You can't just squeeze us in somewhere on the end?" Spike asked hopefully.

Time Turner gawked at the purple unicorn like he'd just spoken in tongues. Spike looked to his assistant only to see Twilight had her arms crossed. She was tapping one foot as she glared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Sorry about him," Twilight said to the earth pony. "He has no idea how important a good schedule can be."

"Hey!" Spike protested.

Much to his surprise, Time Turner actually started laughing at that. The stallion got back up and rustled Twilight's spines playfully.

"You'd think I'd be used to the type," he said, still laughing all the while. "Especially with our weather manager."

Spike rolled his eyes, magic tugging at his hat as he tried to shut out the laughter and think of a way around their newest problem. Time Turner cleared his throat as he managed to work his way down to a few light giggles.

"So sorry, Mr. Prose," he said, covering his mouth to hide his smile. "I wish I could help but the mayor is booked absolutely solid until the end of the festival."

"There has to be somepony I could interview about this," Spike said. "It's important for the article! Maybe there's a town council—"

"No, Vice Mayor Ivory Scroll is already handling the other jobs Mayor Mare couldn't fit in her own schedule," Time Turner interrupted. "And Judge Oak Gavel is out in Manehatten visiting her mother. Poor dear took ill, very unfortunate."

Spike could feel the stress his magic was putting on his hat and he didn't care. Even though he could tell at the current rate it would probably tear sooner rather than later.

"How about you, Time Turner?" Twilight suggested, sparing the chapeau from an early end.

"Me?" the stallion parroted.

"Yeah," Twilight said as she held up the schedule. "You've got a lunch break coming up it looks like. Maybe we could get an interview with you over that?"

Spike's jaw was hanging slack as Time Turner rubbed one hoof against his chin.

"Well I don't see why not," he admitted. "There's a nice little cafe I like to go to, actually."

"That—" Spike cleared his throat and tried to regain his professional demeanor. "That sounds great!"

"Wonderful then," Time Turner responded as he headed for the door. "Oh and I'd hold onto that assistant of yours, Mr. Prose. She knows what she's doing. Shall we?"

"Right behind you," Spike confirmed as Twilight climbed onto his back.

He let the earth pony leave first before following behind. Spike turned his head back to Twilight's smiling face.

"What would you do without me?" she asked.

"You're the best, Twilight," Spike said, nuzzling her a little. "Whatever you want for lunch, it's on me."

"You sure you wanna say that?" Twilight asked. "I mean, with the luck you're having today..."

The two trailed off into laughter as they followed a (somewhat confused) Time Turner out of Town Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Lunchtime was a surprisingly simple affair at Canterlot Castle. Celestia sat at the head of the grand dining table, her meal before her. Much to the head cook's surprise the princess had only requested a simple salad and kettle of tea today.

Anything would have been fine really. This was a day to savor the little things in life. Not even her petty nephew Blueblood was going to get her down.

Even if he had insisted on joining her for lunch. The ivory-white stallion was seated just to her left. Not a single lock of his blond mane was out of place as he poked at the lavish meal he'd ordered for himself.

"Really Aunty, Ponyville?" Blueblood asked for what Celestia had counted as the fiftieth time. "Don't you think this honor would be more fitting for Canterlot?"

Celestia calmly lowered her fork. The haughty prince had been acting like this ever since the location of the festival had been announced.

"Plus you've asked the staff not to assist?" he went on, trying not to sound like he was whining. "Do you not trust them anymore?"

"Of course I do, Blueblood," Celestia answered, looking honestly hurt at the suggestion. "What about the citizens of Ponyville?"

The ivory stallion seemed off-guard as his fork slipped from his telekinesis and back to the plate.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Don't they deserve as much trust?" Celestia asked, her rosy eyes focused solely on her nephew. "I've never visited a town or city that failed to impress on the Summer Sun Celebration. I have every confidence that Ponyville will be no different."

Blueblood's mouth opened to reply, but just as swiftly snapped shut. His aunt's love for everypony was well known after all.

"Of course," Celestia continued as she took a sip of tea. "You're more than welcome to come join me. Perhaps you'd be surprised by how fun 'common' ponies can be."

The prince bit his lip at the way Celestia stressed "common". It was clear from the look on his face that he hadn't expected the princess to know of his opinions on that matter.

"I'm... I'm afraid not, Aunty," Blueblood answered, hooves shuffling as she sipped more tea. "The castle staff is still putting in so much work for our own celebration! It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

Celestia just smiled, having heard exactly the answer she'd expected. Insufferable as he could be, Blueblood didn't deserve to be caught up in what was to come.

The only thing left to do was hope that the coming danger felt the same as her nephew. That Ponyville was too small to bother with when she returned...

"I'm certain Cadence will enjoy herself though," Blueblood said, inadvertently stopping Celestia's heart for a moment.

"Excuse me?" she managed to ask, her teacup rattling in her magic.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to let that slip," he answered with the fakest regret Celestia had ever heard. "She so wanted to surprise you by showing up at the festival tonight. She just wouldn't stop talking about it!"

It was clear from his tone that the prince was taking some meaningless jab at Cadence for all that talking. For a moment Celestia wondered what possessed her niece to confide the plan with him. What quickly took precedence though was what this meant.

Cadence would be there when Nightmare Moon returned.

* * *

Royalty were far from the only ponies that needed to eat. At the moment two of the more common ponies and a baby dragon were doing just that. Several other ponies were passing by the open-air cafe, rushing about to prepare for the festival.

Not that this seemed to be noticed by Timer Turner or his two guests. The earth pony had big smile on his face as he pushed aside his empty plate.

"So thanks to the businesses flooding in after the Zap Apples were discovered, Ponyville flourished," he explained as he placed a few bits on the table. "From there, our little village grew into what it is today."

"Fascinating," Twilight breathed, notebook clutched attentively in her claws. "This will be great for the article, right Prose?"

She turned to the unicorn and the smile on her face was quickly wiped out. Spike's notepad and quill hovered in front of his face still, but his eyes had drifted shut. The quill still worked, dutifully recording everything being said thanks to the Come-to-Life spell placed on it.

With Time Turner distracted stacking up their plates for the waitress, Twilight's claw struck out again. Spike woke with a startled yelp, his quill and pad clattering to the table as the spell on them fizzled out. He looked around in confusion, only to cringe as he spotted the glare Twilight was giving him.

"Something wrong?" Timer Turner asked, giving the unicorn a worried look.

"No," Spike lied, trying not to wince from the pain in his flank. "So...uh..."

He quickly flipped through the notes his enchanted quill had taken. His eyes went wide as he saw just how much had been written down.

"This place has quite a history, huh?" he wondered aloud, eliciting a chuckle from the brown pony.

"Indeed," he responded, looking up as a bell tolled in the distance. "Dear me is that the clock tower? Apologies, it seems I prattled on a bit longer than I meant to."

"It's alright," Twilight said before Spike could comment. "It was all really interesting!"

"Oh, oh yeah," Spike agreed, nodding quickly. "Of course if you have time for just a few more questions—"

"I dearly wish I did," Time Turner apologized with a shake of his head. "Unfortunately, duty calls. I need to get back to Town Hall to set up the food arrival..."

He trailed off as he turned around though, before letting out an amused laugh. Spike and Twilight both looked to one another in confusion.

"Something up?" Spike asked.

"Just a bit of serendipity," Time Turner answered, gesturing down the street. "Take a look."

Coming toward the cafe was a pair of earth ponies. One was an orange mare in a large Stetson hat. The second was the one that drew Spike's eye though. A huge, bright red stallion nearly twice the unicorn's size. A hefty yoke hung around his neck, hitched to a large cart that he pulled along with ease.

"Well howdy thar, Time Turner!" the mare said, waving one hoof as the duo walked up. "Rarity said we might find ya here."

"Well you have wonderful timing," the aide responded, turning to Spike. "Ah yes, Mr. Prose, allow me introduce the current proprietors of Sweet Apple Acres. This is Applejack and her older brother Big Macintosh."

"Nice to meet you," Spike said, wondering just why the names sounded familiar.

For the third time that day he found his hoof pulled into an extremely enthusiastic shake.

"Likewise, Prose!" Applejack said as she released the stallion's numb leg. "Any friend o' Time Turner's is a friend o' mine! What brings ya'll to Ponyville today?"

"We're doing a report on the Summer Sun Celebration," Spike answered, attempting to shake some feeling back into his hoof.

"You guys really own Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked. "The same Sweet Apple Acres that Ponyville was founded around?"

"Sure as shootin'," Applejack answered. "The farm's been in our family since Granny Smith was a filly. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," the stallion answered with a slow nod of his orange-maned head.

"I actually just finished educating the two of them on the Apple Family's role in our town's founding," Time Turner said proudly.

Spike glanced over his notes again, noticing the pages where that was written down. He quickly closed the notes, but already Twilight was rolling her eyes at the sight. He motioned for her to keep quiet, an act that none of the others seemed to notice.

"Miss Applejack's family is actually providing the food for tonight's party," Time Turner continued, nodding to the mare. "I was just about to head off to meet you to get it all set up."

"Aww, ya ain't got nothin' to worry about," Applejack assured the stallion with a casual wave of her hoof.

"Yeah!" a voice chimed in from the cart Big Mac was pulling. "We already got everythin' unloaded for ya!"

A yellow filly with a large bow in her red mane popped up from the cart. She had a smile on her face as she looked down at the other ponies from her seat.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack seemed confused as she tilted her head at the filly. "Ah thought you were taking a nap. We've all been working awful hard today after all."

"All the chatterin' woke me up," the little foal said as she climbed out of the cart and slid onto Big Mac's back. "Besides, Ah wanna meet these new ponies too!"

"Um...Apple Bloom?" Time Turner had an anxious look on his face. "Did you say you and your siblings already dropped off the food?"

"Yup," responded the filly, causing the brown stallion to shuffle his hoofs.

"Oh dear, I wanted to get it all arranged perfectly early," he fretted, starting down the street. "I'd better go check on it just to be sure."

"Time Turner hold up!" Applejack called after him, only for him to take off galloping. "Ah swear, that stallion gits himself worked up over the smallest things."

Spike couldn't help it as a chuckle slipped from his muzzle. Applejack turned toward him at the noise as he covered his muzzle.

"So anyway," he tried to cover, magic wrapping around his pad and quill again. "Time Turner said you were in charge of the food, right? Any chance you'd have time for a few words for my article?"

"Well Ah'd be honored," Applejack responded, jerking her head down the street. "But Ah think I'd better catch up with Time Turner and show him everything's alright first."

She gave Big Mac a pat on the shoulder, causing the large stallion to look at her curiously.

"If you only need a few words though, Mac here's your stallion," she said before chasing after Time Turner. "Ah'll be right back!"

The red pony opened his mouth, possibly to protest, but the words didn't come fast enough. Applejack was already out of earshot and Apple Bloom was bouncing on his back.

"Ooh! We're gonna git interviewed for the newspaper?" she cheered, hopping to the ground. "This is gonna be so great, ain't it Big Mac?"

"Er... eeyup," he answered with a slow nod of his head.

A flash of light drew their attention, the both of them blinking away spots. Twilight swiftly lowered her camera as the farm ponies looked at her.

"Oh, sorry!" she apologized. "I thought we might need a picture for the article. I should have asked first."

Big Mac just rubbed one hoof against his front leg. To Spike the giant stallion almost seemed embarrassed, a notion he shook away.

"Come on, no way a big guy like you is afraid of a few photos," Spike encouraged as his spell sparked around his quill, which immediately began to move with a life of its own. "Now then, let's get started! You and your sisters must be really excited about providing food for such a huge event."

"Eeyup," Big Mac answered simply, with another nod of his head.

There was silence for a moment, aside from the quill scratching out the single word answer. Spike heard small hooves clopping on the street as Big Mac just gave him a sheepish smile.

"Okaaay..." he said, raising one eyebrow as he flipped through the notes from Time Turner. "Soo... according to Time Turner it was actually Princess Celestia that gave the Apple Family rights to settle here—"

He double checked to make sure he'd read that correctly. He suddenly found himself wishing he'd paid more careful attention to the history lesson.

"Right, so any thoughts about that?" he asked, trying to cover his pause. "This seems like it'll be a great chance to show the princess how far your farm has come."

"Eeyup," Big Mac answered again, causing Spike to let out a sigh.

"Can you say anything other than that?" the unicorn asked, trying to suppress his mounting frustration.

"Err..." Mac bit down his lip before answering. "Eeyup?"

There was a _clunk_ as Spike's hoof met his face. He tried very hard not to think about how much he'd been doing that lately.

"Big Mac's a little shy 'round new ponies," Apple Bloom's voice chimed in.

Spike's raised an eyebrow in disbelief as he looked to the red stallion. Big Macintosh scraped one hoof against the ground before nodding in confirmation.

"Right then," Spike said with a frustrated sigh as he put the writing implements back. "Well Applejack said she'd be back soon—"

"Um, Prose?" Twilight's voice suddenly broke in. "A little help?"

The two stallions looked down to see the dragoness backed up against the table. Apple Bloom was pacing around her, orange eyes showing intense focus.

"Apple Bloom," Big Mac said, one massive hoof gently herding his sister to his side. "It's rude to stare."

Spike bit down on his tongue as the subject of his interview finally spoke up.

"Sorry," Apple Bloom apologized before pointing to the purple reptile. "I just never seen a pony like her before."

"That's because I'm not a pony," Twilight explained, crossing her arms. "I'm a dragon."

"A real dragon?" Apple Bloom gasped at the revelation. "A full-blown, jewel-hoardin', fire-breathin' _dragon_?"

"Uh..." Twilight picked at her claws awkwardly until Apple Bloom's face split into a wide grin.

"Cool!" she cheered, jumping at the dragoness.

Twilight stumbled back, banging against the table as she found herself face-to-face with the filly again.

"Ooh, are thar a lot of you up in Canterlot?" Apple Bloom asked eagerly. "How'd you git to be workin' with Mr. Prose?"

Spike put a hoof over his mouth to keep from chuckling at the sight. His own troubles were suddenly fading in light of the new development. Twilight was actually stunned into silence.

"She this friendly with everypony?" Spike asked the other stallion.

"Eeyup," Big Mac responded, pulling the foal back again. "Apple Bloom, Ah think yer scarin' her."

"You okay Twi?" Spike asked, nudging the dragoness with one hoof.

Twilight just nodded, taking a few deep breaths.

"Dagnabbit!" a voice suddenly exclaimed.

All eight eyes shot down the street, spotting Applejack coming back toward them. The galloped right up to her siblings with an angered gleam in her eyes.

"Come on you two," she said to her siblings. "We've gotta git back to the farm, pronto."

"Wut's wrong?" Big Mac asked.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom joined in. "We got all the food set up!"

"Time Turner says it ain't enough," Apple Jack explained, giving a frustrated stomp of her hoof. "Said he wanted extra portions of everythin' to make sure thar'd be enough fer the princess. That means we've gotta head on back and git cookin'. Literally."

"Wait!" Spike exclaimed, raising a hoof to stop her. "What about the interview?"

"Ah'm awful sorry, Prose," Applejack apologized. "It's just gonna have to wait fer now. Big Mac, Ah can count on you to make another trip, right?"

"Course yew can," her brother said with a solemn nod before gesturing to Apple Bloom.

"We'll probably have plenty of time to talk at the party," the yellow filly said as she bounded back up into the cart. "Oh hey! Why don't ya'll go talk to Miss Fluttershy in the meantime?"

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, relieved that she was no longer pinned by the little pony.

"Good idea, Bloom," Applejack said with a nod. "Fluttershy lives in the cottage at the edge of town. She's handling entertainment fer the party tonight."

"Well that's something at least," Spike admitted, his head still lowering a bit.

"Gotta warn you though," Apple Bloom added. "She's even quieter than Mac here."

Spike could feel his brain imploding trying to wrap itself around the idea. Big Mac himself seemed to blush a little, though it was hard to tell under his coat.

"Sorry Ah wasn't more help," he managed to say to the reporters.

Spike just waved one hoof dismissively. Mac hesitated for a moment, but Applejack let out a shrill whistle.

"Come on," she encouraged. "Time Turner's got us on the clock now."

The farmers started back down the road, leaving Spike and Twilight to watch their retreating, apple-marked flanks. Apple Bloom jumped up from the back of the cart, waving her hoof at the duo.

"See ya'll at the party!" she called out as her siblings raced off.

Spike and Twilight both waved until the three were out of sight. The purple unicorn let out a groan and rubbed at his head with one hoof.

"Great," he grumbled. "That makes strike two for interviews so far."

He looked to his assistant only to find she was rubbing her own head.

"Apple Bloom a little too much for you?" he guessed, trying to suppress a grin.

"It's not funny," Twilight retorted as she clambered onto his back. "That filly has no concept of personal space."

"Aww, come on Twi," Spike said with a chuckle as he started down the road. "Here I was thinking you were finally gonna make a new friend."

"Proooose," Twilight moaned, tugging his mane.

"Well I'm sure you'll see her tonight," he went on as he looked around at the streets. "Now let's see... drat. Applejack didn't say which edge of town, did she?"

Twilight's claw suddenly tapped on his head, pointing down a nearby side street. Spike gave her a confused glance as she just rolled her eyes in response.

"Some of us were paying attention to Time Turner earlier," she explained, crossing her arms. "Seriously, that's supposed to be part of a reporter's job."

"That's why I'm glad I have you to cover for me," Spike joked as he started along. "Let's just hope we can get something useful out of this Fluttershy pony."

He took off galloping, Twilight clinging to his back. The sun continued to roll across the afternoon sky. Less than half a day remained in its final trip.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was a peaceful trail that lead away from the buildings of Ponyville. A dirt road winding its way past a narrow stream, heading toward the forests in the distance. Numerous birds, rabbits, and various other tiny critters seemed to line the path. Most seemed to be enjoying the serenity away from the bustling pony-folk in town.

Most of the animals seemed content to watch the pair of strangers now using the road. Twilight's camera was out, snapping photographs of the local wildlife, as Spike carried her along.

"You know what?" he asked as Twilight's camera bulb flashed again. "I don't think we went this way with Ditzy earlier."

"You're not still harping on that, are you?" Twilight asked, giving the stallion an frustrated look.

"Well..." Spike flinched away as the dragon's claw went for an ear pinch. "Hey, she took us everywhere else in town."

The violet claw stopped before it reached its target. Twilight just rolled her eyes as she packed the camera back into the saddlebags.

"It's probably because of the forest," she pointed out, gesturing off into the distance.

Spike's eyes followed to where she'd pointed. The trail meandered on for a while, but even from here he could see where it lead. A tangle of overgrown trees in the distance, the very appearance of them sending a shiver down the unicorn's spine.

"Wait a second," he said. "That isn't... that couldn't be..."

"Time Turner told us, remember?" Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. "Ponyville was founded right on the edge of the Everfree Forest."

Spike swallowed hard. He could still remember the stories he'd heard as a colt. Tales of little ponies vanishing into those wild woods, never to be seen again. Even up in Canterlot the Everfree was a place to be feared.

"So Fluttershy keeps a house out that way?" Spike asked as his walking slowed noticeably. "Talk about valuing your privacy."

"Relax, Prose," Twilight encouraged him with a pat on the back of his neck. "Fluttershy's cottage should be at the edge, it's not like we're going in."

Spike nodded as he continued, noticing some of the animals at the side of the road watching him pass. He chuckled a bit to himself. It was actually getting harder to believe how close they were getting to one of the most dangerous places in Equestria. Between the bright sunshine, the fuzzy critters, and the birds singing he soon wasn't even thinking of the Everfree Forest.

He started to hum along with the birds, but his happy mood was brought to an abrupt end. Twilight's claw finally made good on its earlier promise and a sharp pain shot through his ear.

"Prose, hang on!" she exclaimed, releasing the hold just as quickly.

"Ow!" Spike complained, rubbing at his ear. "We've gotta trim those claws soon, Twi. Or maybe I should get ear studs..."

He mused over the idea for a moment, before turning back to the dragon.

"Hey, how do you think I'd look with pierced ears?" he wondered, only to be shushed.

"Listen," she whispered, cupping one hand next to her own ear fin. "Can't you hear that?"

Spike tilted his head a bit and closed his eyes. The only sound he could hear was the cheerful twittering of birds singing a happy melody.

His eyes went wide as he caught on. It was an actual melody being sung, not just random chirping. Stallion and dragon looked to one another before heading in the direction the sound was coming from. A cluster of bushes sat not too far from the trail, and Spike pushed his way through...

"Ooof!" he and a female voice both grunted.

There were two thuds as Spike and the mare he'd bumped into both fell to the ground. This was soon followed by a rush of feathery wings as a rainbow of birds scattered from a nearby tree.

"Ugh," Spike grunted, rubbing his sore nose. "Sorry about that—"

"Mommy!" a filly's voice called out.

Spike's eyes went wide as he got a good look at who he had bumped into. A familiar gray pegasus who was picking herself up from the ground. Next to her, with a worried look, stood a little unicorn filly with a pale purple coat.

"It's alright, Muffin," Ditzy said as she ran a hoof through the filly's blond mane. "It was just a little bump."

"Ditzy Doo?" Spike and Twilight both said at the same time.

The pegasus mare turned to them, one of her eyes drifting up to the sky as she did. A smile immediately split her muzzle though as her wings fluttered a bit.

"Mr. Prose! Twilight!" she said happily. "What brings you out here?"

Memories of his earlier meeting with the mailmare flashed through his mind. Spike's mind cast about, trying to find an answer that wouldn't inspire more "help" from the mailmare. Before he could speak up though, the little unicorn tugged on Ditzy's wing.

"Mommy," she asked in a whisper. "Do you know these ponies?"

"Heh, silly me!" Ditzy giggled a bit as she brushed her wing across the filly's back. "Dinky, this is the new friend Mommy met at the train station. The one I was telling you about, remember?"

The filly thought for a moment before nodding her head vigorously. She turned to Spike with a big smile on her face.

"Hi Mr. Prose!" she said cheerfully. "I'm Dinky Doo."

Spike smiled back at the foal, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart melting. Ditzy seemed to swell with pride as she placed one of her wings across her daughter's back.

"So, 'Mommy?'" Spike asked, green eyes appraising Ditzy. "She's really your daughter?"

There was no way the mare was _that_ much older than him. Maybe a year at most as near as he could guess. Ditzy just smiled and nodded in confirmation (not noticing as Twilight pinched him again.)

"Dinky here's my little muffin," Ditzy declared proudly as she nuzzled the purple foal. "Sorry about leaving in such a rush before. I was almost late picking her up!"

"Well I think she's precious," Twilight said holding a claw out to Dinky. "Did your mommy mention me?"

"Uh huh," Dinky said with a nod as she held out one hoof. "You're Twilight, right? Mommy said you and Mr. Prose are writing about our party for the newspaper!"

"Yup, that's us," Spike said as he watched the two share a claw/hoof shake. "Actually we were looking for a pony named Fluttershy. She's supposed to live out this way and—"

Spike caught himself a second too late. Ditzy's yellow eyes had already lit up at what he had said.

"Ooh, Fluttershy's right here!" Ditzy exclaimed, gesturing toward the nearby tree. "We were on our way home when Dinky heard the birds so we decided..."

"Um, Ditzy?" Spike tried to interrupt the mare who kept chattering away.

"... turns out she's gonna have them sing for the princess..." Ditzy went on, not noticing Spike's attempts to silence her.

The unicorn looked to where Ditzy was pointing only to see nothing but the tree. A few of the birds had flown back and were nestled in its branches, but there was no sign of anypony else around it.

"Ditzy!" Spike winced as he tried to regain his professional demeanor. "Ummm... unless Fluttershy can turn into a tree, I don't see her around."

Ditzy stopped talking and looked around, her eyes rolling in opposite directions.

"Hey that's weird," Ditzy commented, one hoof going to her chin. "She was right here a second ago."

Dinky tilted her head curiously as she wandered over to the tree. She peeked around the trunk, then a smiled to the others.

"I found her, mommy!" she cheered, picking up something long and pink in her mouth and giving it a gentle tug.

A soft "meep" could be heard as Dinky pulled. Spike made his way over, notepad and quill already floating beside him as he rounded the trunk. Tucked up against it was a yellow pegasus, her long tail grasped in the filly's mouth.

"Miss Fluttershy?" Spike guessed, causing the pegasus to look up at him.

Her blue eyes suddenly darted down at the sight of the stallion. Her long mane fell over her face, covering half of it. She merely squeaked something out and gave a little nod of her head.

"Aww, it's alright Fluttershy," Ditzy encouraged as she came around the other side of the tree. "Mr. Prose here just wants to interview you."

"I-interview?" the yellow pegasus stammered out, shaking her head. "Oh dear, that's really- I wouldn't be very interesting..."

Her voice seemed to trail off, and Spike resisted the urge to just fling his writing equipment away. It looked as though Apple Bloom hadn't been exaggerating.

"Just a few questions?" he tried to coax Fluttershy with a forced smile. "It would really help me out."

As Fluttershy looked back at Spike to respond, Twilight plodded out from behind him. The pegasus pony's jaw went slack and her eyes sparkled at the sight of the purple dragoness.

"Is..." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Is that a baby dragon?"

Spike looked back to Twilight, who suddenly seemed very worried. Before he could answer a blur of yellow zipped past him, sending him spinning in place. He staggered a few steps, barely avoiding falling over as the world swam around him.

In the meantime Twilight found herself with another pony right up in her face. Rather than Apple Bloom's curiosity though, Fluttershy seemed to be radiating adoration.

"I've only ever seen pictures," she said in amazement as she leaned closer to Twilight. "Oh she's just so cute! What's her name?"

"Um..." Twilight took a step back, clearing her throat. "I'm Twilight."

"Oh! You can talk!" Fluttershy gasped out, looking like she couldn't get any happier. "I never realized dragons could talk. That's just so wonderful!"

"Well that's a switch," Spike commented as he rubbed his head.

"Fluttershy gets really nervous around strangers," Ditzy explained to Spike as his eyes finally focused again. "But she really loves animals, especially babies."

"I think Twilight's even shier than her, mommy," Dinky spoke up with a little giggle.

Twilight was slowly backing away from the pegasus. Fluttershy, however, simply kept pace with her. The smile never left her face, and Spike grinned as his horn lit up. Twilight let out a yelp of surprise as a green aura sparked around her, and she found herself sailing through the air onto Spike's back.

"Ladies, if you'll excuse us for just one second," Spike requested, dashing off before they could answer.

Twilight kept a tight grip on her friend's mane as he galloped back to the trail. He stopped to take a few deep breaths before letting the dragoness hop down.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her brow. "Yeesh, that Fluttershy is kind of..."

She trailed off as she noticed Spike giving her a contemplative look. Immediately a sense of dread began to creep back into her chest.

"Hey Twilight," the stallion said, hooking one foreleg around her back and pulling her close. "We still need to get an interview with Fluttershy, right?"

"I don't think I like where this is going," Twilight answered, slipping loose from Spike's grip.

"Come on, Twi!" Spike begged, dropping down and grabbing one of her legs between his fore-hooves. "You saw her, she could barely look me in the eye! But she absolutely loves you!"

"Yeah, and it's kind of creepy!" Twilight answered, trying to her kick her leg free.

She stopped as Spike began to pout, his lower lip quivering as he stared up at her.

"Please?" he begged, still not letting go. "It's for the article. If we don't get something from Fluttershy—"

"Ooooh..." Twilight let out a relinquished sigh. "You owe me big time, mister."

She found herself being pulled into a tight embrace in Spike's forelegs. Sighing, she squirmed her way free and pointed right at the stallion.

"So just what are you going to be doing then?" she asked, tapping one foot.

"Well, um," Spike looked around before his eyes locked on a few clouds floating across the sky. "I'll handle talking to the weather patrol!"

"Seriously?" Twilight asked.

"Hey, can't forget anypony for this article," he pointed out. "Ink Blot said he wanted us to report on everything."

"Alright," Twilight said with a shrug as Spike levitated her a quill and spare notepad. "Seriously though—"

"When we get back to Canterlot I'll buy you a whole jewelry store," Spike promised, drawing a cross over his chest with one hoof. "You're the best, Twi!"

The two headed back, Twilight resisting the urge to cower again as Fluttershy immediately locked eyes on her.

* * *

She would have to tell Cadence.

Celestia ceased her pacing about the throne room. The glorious marble hall stopped echoing with her hoof-steps. No doubt the guards outside would be relieved at the end of the noise as she went over her only remaining option.

There was no doubt the younger alicorn would be horrified at the prospect. Chances are she would fight even harder to be allowed to go to Ponyville and try to stop this. Celestia tried to plan out what to say, how to phrase things so that her precious niece wouldn't be anywhere near the danger.

"Your majesty?" a stallion's voice cut into Celestia's thoughts.

She looked up to see a strapping young unicorn bowing at the throne room entrance. He walked up, his decorative purple armor clanking lightly as he approached.

"Captain Shining Armor," Celestia said, returning to her practiced smile. "You have something to report?"

"I'm just here to inform you that your chariot will be ready to leave shortly," the armored unicorn answered, snapping a quick salute. "I was also wondering if anything was wrong."

"Wrong?" Celestia managed to keep her tone even. "Whatever do you mean?"

Surprisingly, her guard captain actually seemed a bit nervous as he lowered one trembling hoof. It was an effect she was used to having on others at this point though. Something about realizing they were questioning a sun-raising alicorn seemed to put most ponies off.

"The guards outside said you've been pacing almost non-stop since lunch," Shining Armor reported. "That's the only reason I asked."

Celestia let out a small sigh, when a thought suddenly came to her. She looked over the stallion before her, a coy smile coming to her face.

"Now that you mention it, Captain," she said her magic closing the doors of the throne room. "I have a small matter that will need tending to while I'm gone."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Canterlot, being the home to Equestria's ruling class, tended to see a steady influx of visitors. While most were content with the train there was no denying that airships were popular among some. As such, the landing docks overlooking the valley below were always kept ready to receive dignitaries from near and far.

It was there that Shining Armor was waiting, watching as one of the royal airships approached. He gave his helmet one last adjustment and pulled himself to attention. The ship would be docking within seconds and his orders from Celestia were clear.

The ship pulled up and mooring ropes were lashed in place. A gangplank was lowered, and Shining stepped up to the end of it.

"On behalf of Princess Celestia and the Royal Guard," he said in a practiced, even tone. "It's my pleasure to—"

"Shiny?" a voice gasped from the ship.

The armored stallion found his voice halting in his throat. Disembarking from the airship was an elegant pink mare. An alicorn mare with the same look of familiar shock on her face as Shining Armor.

"Cadence?!" he gasped out, before his face split into a wide grin.

Before he could make a move the mare had charged up to him. She pressed up against him, one of her forelegs wrapping around his back.

"I don't believe it!" she said, releasing the friendly embrace and stepping back. "It's been so long!"

"I know what you mean," Shining agreed, thankful that his helmet was hiding his blushing cheeks. "I haven't seen you since you used to foal-sit your cousin up at the castle!"

"You still remember how we used to talk between your training sessions?" she asked with a reminiscent tone. "Now look at you. Shining Armor, Captain of the Guards!"

"Well, yeah..." the stallion rubbed at the back of his head. "Oh right, kinda have a job to do too."

He cleared his throat, trying to ignore Cadence as she giggled. The mare had a hoof over her mouth, but waved for him to continue.

"Princess Celestia, unfortunately, can't greet you in person," he reported, trying to sound official even with the smile cracking through. "She requested that I, as Captain of the Royal Guard, escort you to the castle."

There was silence between the two of them. The pair of baggage handlers quickly resumed carrying their loads before they were caught eavesdropping.

"Have fun with that?" Cadence asked.

The both of them burst out laughing, Shining actually wiping a tear from his eye.

"It's great seeing you again," he said, gesturing toward an awaiting stage coach. "I guess Princess Celestia really wanted to surprise the both of us."

"I'd say it worked," Cadence responded as she started toward it. "Oh Shining, you've got to tell me what you've been up to!"

"There'll be plenty of time for that," Shining Armor responded as his magic flipped open the door to the coach. "Actually I..."

He trailed off, his cheeks burning so hot he was sure Cadence would notice them. The alicorn looked concerned, her purple and yellow mane bobbing a bit as she leaned closer.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I just... well Celestia wanted me to keep an eye on you until she returned after the sun rise," Shining Armor explained before taking a nervous swallow and continuing. "So I just had the idea of maybe attending the celebration together? I'm off-duty at sunset."

"Shiny..." Cadence's voice was barely a whisper as she stopped at the entrance of the coach.

The stallion tried to stay composed but his shuffling fore-hooves were a dead give away. Much to his surprise, Cadence gently nuzzled his cheek in response.

"I'd love to," she said with a grin.

"You'd love—Great!" Shining Armor cleared his throat as the princess boarded the coach. "We'll just get you settled at the castle first. You must be tired after the trip."

"On the way, I want to hear everything," Cadence said as Shining attached his harness and started down the street. "How has your family been?"

"Great, they're all great," Shining said with a chuckle. "Spike's reporting for the Canterlot Sun now and my parents... well you'll get to see them tonight..."

Shining Armor and Cadence were so involved in their conversation neither of them bothered to look up. Celestia smiled down from her pegasus-pulled chariot as she watched her niece being escorted to the castle. It was quite clear that her niece had thrown out any thoughts of heading to Ponyville.

The white alicorn turned her gaze forward again as her own escorts started down toward the valley. It wouldn't be a very long trip by air. She'd still have enough time to enjoy the view of Canterlot and the mountains in the sunlight.

"Commander Aquilinus?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind. "Feel free to take the scenic route. We're ahead of schedule anyway."

* * *

Spike's head jerked in a sudden sneeze.

"Oooh," Dinky said with a giggle from her mother's back. "Looks like somepony is talking about you!"

"I hope it's not Twilight," Spike sniffled as he started walking again.

The trip back to town seemed shorter than the one out. He was already passing buildings he recognized and could see the Town Hall in the distance. Ditzy's wings were flapping hard as she kept pace overhead, Dinky clinging to her back.

"Are you sure she's gonna be okay?" Ditzy asked, drawing the stallion's eyes back up to her. "I've never seen anypony... or animal... or anything get so nervous around Fluttershy!"

Spike could still picture his dragon assistant as Ditzy spoke. She'd probably be trembling under Fluttershy's kindly stare as the pegasus doted on her. He honestly wasn't sure whether the thought of it was funny or kind of sad.

"Twi just gets a little antsy when ponies stare at her," Spike explained, shaking the image from his mind. "She'll be fine. It's not the first time she's handled an interview for me."

Spike saw the mailmare nod at him, but he didn't focus on her. His eyes had been drawn past her and the few clouds hanging above. He could see the sun, and it set alarms blaring in his head. It was already well into the afternoon position in the sky.

"Oh man, it's that late already?" Spike fretted as he picked up his pace. "I've gotta find that weather manager fast!"

"Hey, there's Time Turner! Maybe he can help," Ditzy's voice once more drew Spike away from his thoughts. "Hi Time Turner!"

"Hi Mr. Time Turner!" Dinky called out as well, waving one hoof.

Spike's gaze turned away from the sun. Standing out in the square in front of Town Hall was the earth pony he remembered from lunch. Time Turner seemed to be in the midst of glaring impatiently at the slightly cloudy sky. At Ditzy's greeting though his grim look changed to a smile.

"Ah, Miss Doo," he said as the trio approached. "Wonderful to see and your delightful daughter. And Mr. Prose, how is your article coming?"

"It's... coming," Spike admitted, eyes darting back to the sun for a second. "Say, have you—"

"Oooh, ooh!" Dinky suddenly interrupted, a big smile on her face. "Are the decorations in Town Hall done?"

"Dinky," Ditzy said softly, one hoof gently pressing against the filly's mouth. "You know it's rude to interrupt."

Spike was biting back the urge to curse in front of the filly. He took a deep breath, holding it in as she turned to him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Prose," Dinky said, her little eyes brimming with an apologetic look.

Spike released the breath and just waved one hoof. Dinky smiled, turning back to Time Turner who tousled her mane a bit.

"Well the decorations are done," Time Turner answered before he began pacing about. "Oh, and Big Macintosh got back with the rest of the food. He and Rarity should be arranging it right now."

"Wait, already?" Spike asked, his frustration losing to curiosity. "It hasn't been that long since you sent him back."

"It's because his family is in town, right?" Ditzy guessed.

"Right you are, Miss Doo," Time Turner said with a smile and a nod. "They've got a whole army of Apples preparing treats."

"Can we go help set up in Town Hall, mommy?" Dinky asked, bouncing in place. "Please please please? I wanna see the decorations Miss Rarity made!"

Ditzy gave Time Turner a big smile, who responded with a slightly nervous chuckle.

"I... well I guess it couldn't hurt if you two went in and looked," he admitted. "Just don't touch anything unless Rarity okays it."

Dinky was off like a shot, leaping from Ditzy's back and running off with a cheer.

"Thanks Time Turner!" Ditzy said, dashing off after the filly. "Dinky, wait for me!"

Spike watched the two of them dash off, his mind already picturing just what sort of mess might get made inside. Unfortunately he was having trouble finding the idea funny as a look up reminded him of his deadline.

"Apologies if I'm intruding," Time Turner spoke up as Spike turned back to him. "But if you're here then where's Twilight?"

"Oh, she's handling interviewing Fluttershy," Spike answered, glad to finally have an opening. "I came back here to talk to the weather manager for my article."

"Ah..." Time Turner bit down on his lip, his eyes darting back to the sky.

"Let me guess..." Spike sighed, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache starting. "She's not available right now?"

"Actually, nopony has seen Miss Dash all day," Time Turner corrected as he waved a hoof to the clouds above. "She was supposed to be cleaning this up, but—"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Spike shouted, one hoof stomping on the ground.

The unicorn could hear the rush of blood in his ears as he unleashed his frustration. A clatter of hooves reminded him he wasn't alone, as Time Turner jumped back at the outburst. Spike bit down on his lip again, realizing what he'd just yelled.

"Whoa," a voice broke in before he could apologize. "Something wrong here?"

Both of the stallions looked up to be greeted by a dark-gray (almost black) pegasus stallion. His silvery-blue mohawk bounced with each flap of his wings as he hovered in place. Time Turner visibly relaxed and quickly cleared his throat.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Thunderlane," he said, waving one hoof. "Glad you've finally arrived."

"Yeah, sorry I took so long," the pegasus apologized, jerking his head to the side. "Had to punt a few stray clouds over the forest. Just give me a few minutes to clear the rest of this up!"

The dark-coated pegasus set to work, swooping into the air and working the clouds with his hooves. Time Turner breathed a small sigh of relief and nodded his head.

"Uh..." Spike swallowed hard before stepping up behind the earth pony. "Sorry about that."

"Hmm?" Time Turner looked back and let slip a chuckle. "Ah, no worries. I can only imagine the time you've had trying to get somepony to talk to you today."

"You have no idea," Spike confirmed, Big Mac and Fluttershy flashing through his mind. "So, who's this guy?"

"Oh, Thunderlane?" Time Turner asked. "He's the only pony on the weather team that was willing to put in over time today."

The two watched as the pegasus obliterated one of the smaller clouds with a swift kick. There hadn't been many clouds around to start with, but Thunderlane had still cleared most of them surprisingly fast. He settled down on the smaller of the remaining puffs, hoof rubbing his chin as he looked up at the other one.

"That last one looks pretty big," Thunderlane called down to them, pointing to the cloud. "Think I've got room to bust it open?"

Spike looked curiously between the earth and pegasus ponies. Time Turner seemed to be mentally gauging the distance between the cloud and Town Hall before slowly nodding.

"Looks like you're good!" he called back before ushering Spike backward. "We should stand back a little."

"Why?" Spike asked as Thunderlane flew up and vanished into the large cloud. "What's he doing?"

"Thunderlane's specialty is handling storm clouds," Time Turner answered, pointing up at the now sparking mass. "So to break up large one he's learned to agitate them from within and... well you'll see soon enough."

The larger cloud was darkening and tiny electric bolts danced over its surface. The whole thing began to tremble before, with a final **_CRACK_**, it exploded in a thunder clap! Spike leapt ten feet straight up at the noise as a multi-colored blur shot straight up from the vaporized cloud.

Thunderlane came streaking from the flash, plowing through the cloud he'd landed on earlier. The much smaller cotton-puff burst as soon as he made contact. The stallion hit the ground, a broad smile on his face as the sun shone down from the now cloudless sky.

"How's it look?" he asked, a somewhat cocky tone to his voice.

"Well done, Thunderlane!" Time Turner congratulated, eyes scanning the sky. "Clear skies, perfect for watching the sun rise."

"That was awesome!" Spike gushed before he could stop himself. "Hey, how'd you make that rainbow-colored lightning bolt?"

"Rainbow-colored?" Thunderlane asked, looking back up. "I didn't—"

"**THUNDERLANE!**" a mare's voice shouted from high above.

"Uh oh." The named pony's wings snapped shut against his sides.

Down from the clear sky descended a cyan pegasus mare. Her striking mane and tail covering every color of the visible spectrum. Spike couldn't help but notice the similarity between her cutie mark and Thunderlane's. The only difference was the lightning bolt coming from her cloud was three different colors.

"What's the big idea?" the mare fumed, eyes locked on Thunderlane. "You almost fried me!"

"Sorry Dash!" Thunderlane apologized, backing a few steps away. "I didn't even know you were up there. Time Turner asked me to handle clearing the sky so—"

The blue pegasus pony's glare turned to the brown stallion at that remark. Time Turner inhaled sharply through his teeth as she rounded on him.

"Oh he did, huh?" she asked, jabbing the earth pony with one hoof. "Cloud cleaning was supposed to be my job today."

"Well Miss Rainbow Dash," Time Turner responded, pushing her hoof aside. "Perhaps if you'd been doing your job instead of goofing off I wouldn't have had to bother Thunderlane."

"I was not goofing off!" responded Rainbow Dash, crossing her forelegs in a huff. "I was napping."

Spike slowly backed away as the two began arguing. He couldn't make out the words, their voices raising trying to drown one another out. The reporter took a seat to watch the mess unfold, finding Thunderlane sitting next to him.

"This happen a lot?" Spike asked, watching the two.

"A little too much," Thunderlane answered with a shrug. "TT tries to keep the town running like clockwork, but Dash keeps her own schedule."

Spike just nodded as a few green sparks leapt from his horn. His quill and paper were soon floating next to him, setting themselves to recording the argument.

"So..." Thunderlane said, running a hoof over his own mane. "Just who are you again?"

"Huh? Oh!" Spike gasped as he rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

His magic levitated the press pass from his hat, hovering it in front of Thunderlane.

"I'm Purple Prose, from the Canterlot Sun," he introduced himself as the pegasus took the pass. "I was hoping to get an interview with Rainbow Dash about tomorrow morning's celebration but..."

The two looked back at the arguing duo. Rainbow Dash seemed to be getting more and more animated as she went on. In sharp contrast, Time Turner was seated and seemed to be straining to keep calm.

"... Yeah I don't see that happening," Thunderlane said as he returned the pass. "Yeesh, coming down today to try and question ponies? You probably could have planned that better."

"It was sort of last minute," Spike admitted, looking up at the sky. "Say, did you seriously clear the whole town on your own?"

"Fine!" Rainbow Dash's voice broke in before an answer could be spoken, her wings pumping as she flew off. "Guess I'll just go practice some since I'm not needed here!"

In a blur of colors the mare was gone. Time Turner's hoof massaged his temples as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oh dear, Mr. Prose!" he gasped, eyes snapping open. "I'm sorry, you wanted to speak with her didn't you?"

"I actually don't think it's gonna be a problem," Spike responded, nodding to Thunderlane. "I mean, Rainbow Dash didn't clear the whole town herself, did she?"

"No, I had to take care of that," Thunderlane answered, stretching his wings a bit. "Why? Is that important?"

"Only if you think getting interviewed for the most read newspaper in Equestria is important," Spike answered with a big grin as his quill and paper floated up next to him. "Credit where it's due, right?"

Thunderlane's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped back to his hooves.

"You're serious?" he asked, grinning. "That would be so cool—Oh wait, shoot!"

His hoof met his face and he shook his head. Spike could feel the urge to throw something start to rise again.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Thunderlane apologized. "I've gotta pick up my brother from the library and—"

"The library?" Spike cut in, his smile returning. "That's great! I'm meeting my partner there! We can talk on the way."

"Really?" Thunderlane asked, before nodding his head. "Well okay then!"

Spike was cheering inside his head, fireworks to rival the cloud explosion lighting up his thoughts. Finally he could see things beginning to turn around for him.

"Glad to see things are going your way," Time Turner said, patting Spike on the back. "Do you need any help finding the library?"

"No thanks," Spike answered with a shake of his head. "Ditzy took me past it earlier."

She'd shown it to him five times during the circuitous tour. Spike decided not to mention that part out loud. Time Turner just nodded in response, though a look of worry flashed through his eyes.

"Ah right," the earth pony said, looking back to Town Hall. "I'd best make sure everything is alright in there. Take care you two!"

The brown stallion dashed toward the building Ditzy and Dinky had entered. Spike let slip a little chuckle, his shoulders feeling a bit lighter.

"Well then," he said, turning back to Thunderlane. "Ready to go?"

"Sure," the pegasus answered as the two started moving. "So, where's this interview start?"

"Let's see." Spike's magic flipped to a fresh page as his quill moved on its own. "How about with what you'd been doing before Time Turner came to you for help?"

The two stallions continued on, Spike's quill dutifully recording everything. The unicorn allowed himself a slight distraction as Thunderlane spoke. He could see the top of the old oak tree that held the town's library. The unicorn smiled with anticipation at the thought of relating this little story to Twilight.


End file.
